The Root had indeed flourished, living up to its name.
The roots buried deep in the darkness nourished the Konoha that stood aboveground, providing it with ample sustenance and helping the towering tree grow ever more prosperous and lush... All right, that was nonsense. The roots buried in the darkness underground had probably contributed to the tree's growth at some point, but more often than not, they did the opposite, sucking the tree dry to strengthen themselves.
The roots in the darkness grew strong and healthy, while the great tree standing aboveground withered away.
To cultivate the growth of Root, Danzo had constantly drawn fresh recruits from the Ninja Academy and taken gifted children from Various Clans. With Cursed Seals, he had snuffed out the uncertain futures of those geniuses and turned them into obedient, useful hunting dogs at his command.
Everything he did seemed to be in the name of the village, but in truth, he was simply feeding on its flesh and blood to satisfy his own selfish desires.
And now,
After the roots hidden in the darkness had gained a new master, they had still turned their spearhead against part of the great tree, launching another act of self-mutilation.
Yes!
The conflict between the Uchiha and Root,
Was, in essence, nothing more than Konoha mutilating itself!
Of course, that was not necessarily a bad thing. In Sōken's eyes, if they could use this opportunity to sweep away the rotten roots buried deep in the darkness, it would be good for both the Uchiha and the village. Otherwise, just killing Danzo would leave him feeling that something was unfinished.
Only by pulling out the weeds by their roots could they solve the problem once and for all.
"Shisui!"
Sōken cut his way through the enemies blocking his path